Several technologies currently exist for monitoring and control of remote equipment, such as, for example, sewer lift stations, gas pipelines, electrical distribution equipment, etc. These technologies include, for example, automatic telephone alarm dialers/data collector systems, licensed or non-licensed communication data radio systems, cellular data collectors/alarm dialer systems, hardwired interface/network systems, and satellite interface systems. Land-line telephone systems and/or hardwired networks are typically impractical for use in monitoring remotely located equipment. This is especially the case in areas with difficult geographic terrain due to the cost and complexity of obtaining land easements, as well as installing communication cables.
Existing wireless technologies overcome some disadvantages associated with land-line systems, but also introduce other disadvantages. Such disadvantages include the cost and complexity of establishing a suitable antenna system for reliable transmission of computer data over radio waves. In addition, part of establishing an antenna system typically includes laborious radio propagation studies to determine the expected wireless reliability of such a system. Although some of these issues may be avoided using existing wireless communication systems such as, for example, cellular voice systems and/or satellite communications, communication hardware costs, monthly fees and wireless airtime expenses may be significant. For example, in airtime fee-based systems, airtime charges may be expensive and unpredictable when equipment malfunctions and registers a large amount of airtime, or has to repeatedly re-send data that is corrupted because of poor and/or unpredictable cellular-voice-channel connections.
Current technologies for providing both remote monitoring and control are typically large, elaborate and complex systems. These systems require specialized training and/or knowledge to implement, as well as configure the communications associated with such systems. In addition, many such systems provide only one-way data delivery services and/or provide services that rely on proprietary communication devices and/or software for remote monitoring and control. Further, such systems typically include significant amounts of hardware and specialized software programming.
Due to the disadvantages associated with prior art remote monitoring and control techniques, there are significant amounts of remote equipment that is currently not remotely monitored or controlled. This remote equipment typically represents smaller more remotely located sites where it is simply not economically feasible to provide automatic, remote monitoring. The failure of equipment at one of these sites may, however, have serious and significant consequences. Especially since failures in such remote locations may go unnoticed for an extended period of time. For example, the failure of a remotely located sewage lift station may allow raw sewage to dump into creeks, rivers and the general environment causing a possible safety hazard. Accordingly, there is a need for a simple, effective, low-cost method and system to remotely monitor and control equipment located in remote locations.